March 2009

March 31, 2009

Wide receiver Patrick Crayton's comments in the Star-Telegram on Tuesday have been the subject of much controversy this afternoon.

He is being widely criticized on local radio for seemingly taking a shot a quarterback Tony Romo and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett when asked about the departure of receiver Terrell Owens and the Cowboys moving forward in 2009.

Here are his words:

"All of that is in the past,"Crayton said."As a group there ain't no more excuses. No more scapegoats to put the blame on. It's all on us that are here to get the job done. There is nobody here to point the finger at. You understand the business. They made it more (offensive coordinator) Jason Garrettand (quarterback) Tony Romo friendly. Again no more excuses."

If you are looking for controversy then I suppose you can read what you want into what Crayton said _ especially considering he sided with Owens during the season regarding Romo's distribution of the football.

But from point of the view as the interviewer, Crayton had no agenda. He was very matter of fact about the situation. He was not smarmy. He did not come off sarcastic.

Bottom line, he was simply telling the truth.

Owner Jerry Jones has acknowledged that one of the reasons he cut Owens was to make the offense more Romo friendly.

And while Jones didn't mention Garrett, you don't have to be genius to know that Owens' departure has made life easier for the offensive coordinator as well.

By the same taken, the offense is more Crayton friendly. He will get more opportunities to catch the football and make plays with Owens gone.

So to think that he is harboring ill feelings to the point that he would risk alienating the quarterback and the offensive coordinator is off base.

Of course this is another lesson in the media catch 22. "We" often criticize players for not saying anything _ like Romo and tight end Witten who have yet to comment on the Owens situation. Hopefully, Witten will finally talk at an appearance on Wednesday so stay tuned.

But when they do say something "we" don't like or don't agree with then we rip them for it.

Crayton is no rookie when it comes to media. And he has said some things in the past that he probably shouldn't have said.

But there was no agenda here.

He will be out there catching passes with Romo, Witten and the other receivers on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the offseason program getting ready for next year.

March 28, 2009

When the Cowboys shockingly released petulant receiver Terrell Owens a few weeks ago, he took the high road.

Owens thanked owner Jerry Jones and the Cowboys for the opportunity to play in Dallas in a statement on his website.

But of course, you knew the more Owens talked about the subject, his true feelings would come to light.

According to sources, Owens was shocked and felt betrayed when Jones and son Stephen Jones flew to Miami to deliver the news to him in person.

During an interview with a Canadian television station Rogers Sportsnet to be aired Sunday night, Owens admitted as much.

"You hear all the speculation, and you talk to the owner of the team, and he reassures you, you're not going anywhere and then, out of left-field … you get blindsided," Owens said.

Owens, 35, who signed with the Buffalo Bills just three days after being released by the Cowboys, even inferred that Stephen Jones was behind his ouster.

"I know whole-heartedly he [Jerry Jones] wanted me there," Owens said. "There were some people I know who got in his ear that pressured him to make that decision. For that, it's sad. You let two or three people conspire to get me out of the situation."

According to Jerry Jones, the Cowboys made the decision because of Owens' age, declining produciton and because they wanted to make Roy Williams the teams No. 1 receiver.

Owens caught 69 passes for 1,052 yards and 10 touchdowns last season.

Jones also admitted that getting rid of Owens would help Tony Rome become a better quarterback.

It's well chronicled that Owens and Romo didn't get along. Owens also had run ins with tight end Jason Witten and offensive coordinatorJason Garrett.

Jones said, "Since we want to do everything we can to have Romo play his best, and since I made the decision to release Terrell, I must've thought it gives Tony a better chance to play to the optimum for the Cowboys."

Asked why he signed so quickly with Buffalo, Owens said it was because they showed the most interest.

"Why not?" Owens said. "They were really after me, they wanted me, despite everything that had been said negatively about me. It was a no-brainer."

March 25, 2009

The Cowboys' top priority this off-season was getting outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware signed to a long-term deal. Ware is entering the final season of his rookie deal.

Ware's price went up when the Washington Redskins signed defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth to a record $41 million in guarantees.

"He's obviously a top defensive player and has played like one," Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said of Ware. "I'm sure [Ware and his agent] have got their eye on [Haynesworth's deal]."

Jerry Jones said he is disappointed the Cowboys won't be playing the Texans this season. The Cowboys had met the Texans every year -- either in the preseason or the regular season -- since Houston gained the expansion team in 2002. But a scheduling conflict this year prevents Dallas from traveling to Houston.

"I am disappointed," Jones said. "I'd like to play them every year. We had kind of thought it was good and think it is good for the league, and we should do it every year. We should at least have a preseason game if we're not going to have a regular-season game. We've got to schedule better than that, and I'm not being critical of anybody."

The NFL will release the preseason schedules next week. The Cowboys are expected to have home games in the second and third weekends of the preseason to avoid conflicts with the Rangers.

Jones said it is unlikely the Cowboys will scrimmage any other team during training camp. The Cowboys have scrimmaged with the Broncos the past two seasons.

The Wildcat likely is coming to the stadium near you. Jerry Jones said the Cowboys could draft a quarterback to use in the Wildcat, a formation made popular by the Miami Dolphins with running back Ronnie Brown taking the snap in the shotgun offense.

"We may want to do some things and our offense this year with a third quarterback," Jones said. "That's something other than be there as a backup to the second quarterback and be there in case you lose all the quarterbacks and be there not certainly as a development prospect, but we could hopefully find a quarterback with a set of skills that we could put some packages in for."

Jones added that third-year receiver Isaiah Stanback, a former quarterback at Washington, also could be used in a Wildcat formation.

March 24, 2009

Hill sought out Jauron after the Bills signed Owens just three days following his shocking release from the Cowboys.

"He told me a lot of things, a lot of things he felt, a lot of things that are private between us," Jauron said. "He also told me he was the hardest worker that he’s ever seen or he worked as hard as anybody he’s ever seen, which is not news to anybody in terms of this player. He wanted to win, had a driving desire to win."

Maybe Owens wasn't as bad in Dallas as it was made believe.

Hill was hired to oversee the team's behaviorable department. His primary focus is to oversee the team's handling of troubled players. From Alonzo Spellman, Dimitrius Underwood, Tank Johnson, Pacman Jones and Owens, Hill was involved with all of them during their time with the Cowboys.

I doubt if he would serve as reference for all of them. But he did for Owens. So that is saying something.

Phillips ended the gag order at the NFL owners meetings, saying it was partly his decision not to talk since the day after the 2008 season ended.

“I didn’t have anything to say,” Phillips said Tuesday at the St. Regis Resort. “I’ve been a little disappointed that things have come out that we felt like weren’t true at all, and if you start talking about those things, then it’s a he-said, she-said. I don’t like to go into all that, but I was disappointed in some of the reporting that we felt like wasn’t accurate about our football team and what happened. We were certainly disappointed we didn’t win enough, but it got carried away in my opinion, and there’s no use talking about it, in my opinion.”

The Cowboys ended the season with a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, and since Phillips’ post-season press conference a day later, Phillips and his staff have hardly been heard from.

Owner Jerry Jones explained the gag order at the NFL Scouting Combine last month, calling it necessary to have one voice in the organization.

“We, or I, was getting a lot of whatever [criticism], whatever you want to call it, which is natural, which we expect,” Phillips said. “I just don’t think there’s a whole lot to comment about.”

Phillips, who is entering his third season in Dallas, is required by the NFL to speak Wednesday at the NFC Coaches’ Breakfast. Since the end of the season, when Phillips last talked to the media, the Cowboys have released Adam “Pacman” Jones and Terrell Owens, traded Anthony Henry and signed three veterans.

The Cowboys also fired defensive coordinator Brian Stewart, and Phillips now will serve as the team’s defensive coordinator.“We said there was going to be change; there is change; and there will be more change,” Phillips said. “The draft will certainly be a part of that. Once we start getting the football team together and our off-season program starts Monday, there are a few changes in that. …We’re looking forward to it.”

Except, that is, back to Dallas after he finishes celebrating his anniversiary with his wife this week in Napa.

But the Cowboys are not going to trade Carpenter.

Is it something they considered and wanted to do earlier in the offseason?

Yes.

Carpenter has never struck the fancy of coach Wade Phillips. And the Cowboys were actually trying to do Carpenter a favor by moving him to a team that would be a better fit for him.

But those plans have been scuttled.

No. 1, the Cowboys haven't had any serious takers or Carpenter might be gone.

Remember it takes two to make a trade. Also remember the Cowboys wanted to trade S Roy Williams before simply releasing him. The Cowboys tried to send him to Detroit for quarterback Jon Kitna but the Lions wanted cornerback Anthony Henry.

No. 2, the Cowboys need Carpenter following the loss of Kevin Burnett who signed a free agent contract with the Chargers. The Cowboys have no depth at inside linebacker behind starters Bradie James and Keith Brooking. And at this point in his career, Brooking is just a two-down linebacker.

The Cowboys will address the position in the draft and possibly down the line in free agency. But at this point, they need Carpenter to possibly serve a nickel linebacker and give them some insurance in case Brooking or James goes down.